Gas generator



April 1929- I c. w. ANDREWS El AL 1 709334 GAS GENERATOR Filed Sept.l2, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet l \n 1% M m l I I pr 16, 1929. c. w. ANDREWS a AL' 1,709,334

64s GENERATOR Filed Sept. 12, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet avwewtou 2m Wm ALW April 16, 1929' c. w. ANDREWS ET AL. 1, 0 3

GAS ammo I v "Filed Sept. 12, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 1929; c. w. ANDREWS ET AL GAS GENERATOR Filed Sept. 12. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I1 a w j II 9 58 fi'I .38\[ \i s 40 -3? :21] 9- 41 J -J Z25 Patented Apr. l6, 1929.

UNITED STATES I I 1,109,334 PATENT OFFICE.

GHARLE$ w. ANDREWS, or DULUTH, mNNnso'rA, AND WILLIAM. 3. 011mm, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS or oNn-nanr r onnxAN ENGINEERING com ANY, A CORPORATION 01 OHIO, AND oNn-mr r0 cmms w; mnnws.

GAS GENERATOR.

Application filed September 12, m4.- sermN'o. 787,288.

The invention relates to a gas generator having special advantages for use in the production of water gas, although it should be understood that the same may be em- 5 ployed for other purposes, such as the production of producer gas from hard or soft fuel or the enrichment or cleaning of blast furnace and other gases.

In the production of water gas, the high 1 temperatures and high pressures involved,

as well as the fact that the steam run is both up and down, tend to the formation of large quantities of objectionable clinkers,

I which heretofore have been removed only by shutting down the enerator periodically and taking out the clinkers manually with bars and sledge hammers. Both the delay and expense of the above operation are objectionable and the arduous labor involved therein has become a serious problem.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a gas enerator which is mechanically operated in such manner as to avoid the necessity of the above manual operations under the diflicult conditions that obtain in the production of water gas. In accordance with the present invention we provide an agitating member which sweeps around the lower ortion of the ash bed in such a way as to thoroughly agitate the lower portion of the fire bed through the medium of the ash, preventthe formation of large clinkers and. break up such as are formed, eliminate blow-holes and in general promote uniform conditions of combustion and gas generation within the generator.

' The invention also aims to secure proper agitation as aforesaid without causing an unduly rapid ejection of the ash; that is to say, particularly in water gas installations, theproper agitation of the ash bed usually requires a speed of motion of the agitating member which would tend to push the ash too rapidly out of the ash bed, but accord- 45 ing to the present invention the rate of removal of the ash is made independent of the s eed of motion of the a 'tating member,

there y making it possib e to move the.

latter as fast as may be desired. Although the ash agitating member preferably assists to some extent 1n the removal. of the ash, the rate of ash removal is independently controlled.

" We also prefer to provide in conjunction with an ash agitating member of the above nature, a structure which will assist to break up clmkers of objectionable size and enable them to be .mechanically removed along with the otherash. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be in art obvious and in part specifically pointe t10n hereinafter contained which, taken in con unct 1on with the accom anying drawings, dlscloses a preferr embodiment thereof; such embodiment, however, is to be considered merely as illustrative of its principles. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical central section of the lower part of. a gas producer constructed in accordance with the invention.

out in the descrip- Y Figure-2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3' is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows. i

Fig. 4 is a detail section taken on line 44 of Fig. 2. Flg. 5 is a transverse section and Fig. 6 1s a central ventical section of a modified form of the invention.

Fig. -7 1s a transverse section of a modified form of the invention, while Fig. 8 is a vertica'lsection on line 88 of Fig. 7, looking 1n the direction of the arrows.

The invention is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 as applied to a gas generator h'avin inner and outer side walls 1 and 2 whic may be suitably water-cooled, and in the resent instance the outer wall 2 is extended ownwardl to the floor to act as a supportfor the si e walls and provide within it an annular ash pit 3 which is located between the outer wall 2 above-mentioned and an inner annular partition 4, which in turn contains a chamber 5 therewithim- A grate, preferably of the type hereinafter described in greater detail, rests upon the wall 4 above described, and upon a fixed pedestal 6, whereby the chamber ,5 serves as a pressure chamber for the air or steam which is fed into the same at certain stages by an inlet pipe 7 (Fig. 2), and receives gas at certain other stages which passes out through a as outlet pipe 7.

In a'ccor ance with the present invention, we provide above the grate, an agitatin member 8 which works in the ash supported by the grate, such member, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, being inthe form of a beam of large enough cross section'to project up into the ash bed to quite an extent, and thereby agitate the ash and firebed as 'thoroughly as desired, to remove blowholes, and in general produce uniform conditions in the firebed.

The above-mentioned motion of the ashmoving member is particularly desirable in the operation ofwater gas generators where the high temperatures involved at certain stages, tend to produce clinkers of large an annular wear plate 9 opposed to the outer ends of the beam.

' The beam 8 is outstroking in its action, continuall crowding the ash toward the periphery o the grate, but its function of agitating the ash in an upward direction, producing an undulatingor' up and down motion, so as to produce uniform conditions in the bottom of the firebed, is the primary one. Furthermore,.from the standpoint of agitation of the firebed from underneath, it may be desirable to rotate the beam at a higher speed thanthat required to remove the ash at the proper rate, and accordingly the generator preferably is so constructed as to cut down the amount of ash ejected from the ash bed by the beam to a oint below the normal'outstroki'ng tendencies of the latter. In the present instance the side wall 1 of the producer, as is shown more plainly in Fig. 1, is provided with an annular lip 1 which extends down to approximately the level of the (grate, thereby obstructing a direct outwar path of travel of the ash, and an annular ash-discharge opening 10 underlies the outer end portions of the beam 8, such opening being of restricted size whereby only a limited amount of ash may drop therethrough as the beam rotates. The ash which is crowded outwardly by the beam, in excess of the amount which may drop downwardly through the ash discharge opening 10, is

permitted to relieve itself by moving upwardly adjacent the side walls 1, which does not confine the ash against such upward relief. The result is that the beam may be speeded up as much as desired to properly agitate the firebed from underneath, without e ecting the ash too rapidly. 1

The movement imparted to the fuel bed by the rotating beam 1s primarily an up and down or undulating one, although there is also to a lesser extent a twisting movement and an outward, movement, all caused by the rotation of the beam. It has been found that the agitation of the fuel bed from above does not cause motion therein more than a foot or two below the actual reach of the agitating member. The various types of agitation employed in the ashes heretofore have been primarily horizontal in their effect upon the ash bed and primarily employed for ejectingash from the ash bed.

The motion produced by the type of agitator employed herein extends nearly to the top surface of the fuel and should the fuel be dumped all in the center of the fuel bed, for example, the action of the beam will spread the fuel out satisfactorily over the entire surface of the fuel bed. Thus agita- 'tion of this nature renders unnecessary the usual spreading out and agitation of the fuel from above.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the beam 8 is rotated by means of a Cir drive ring 11 which surrounds the pressure chamber 5 and is connected to the beam near the outer extremities of the latter. As shown, the drive ring 11 rides upon ball bearings 12, which are supported by an annular shelf 13 detachably mounted upon partition 4:. The drive ring 11 is rotated in any suitable manner, as by providing gear teeth 14 thereon which mesh with a pinion 15, which latter is carried by drive shaft 16 connected to a suitable variable speed driving mechanism of suitable character, which need not be described in detail herein. Preferably the drive shaft 16 and associated parts are located within the confines of the producer side wall 2, as by dividin off a portion of the chamber 3, by means 0 partitions 17 and 18 (Fig. 2) to form a housing for the driving parts.

he rotary motion of the drive ring 11 serves to carry around with the ring that portion of the ash lying in its vicinity, whereby the clinkers in the ash are ground up between themselves and also by being crushed against the plate 9 previously mentioned. 1 If desired, the ring 11 may be provided with projections or corrugations simiilarto those later described herein in connecton with Fig. 5, for the purpose of promoting the rotation of the ash and breaking of the clinkers.

The illustrated form of generator is of the dry bottom type, and the ash beam 8 is made hollow, toreceive cooling water led thereto,

the beam 8, leading from its interior to the hollow interior of drive ring 11, thus circulating water through the latter after it has passed through beam 8. The water may 7 pass out into the above chamberthrough a .an adjustable device isprovided for removing ash from the trough at the desired rate, thus permitting any desired rate of ash removal to be maintained with difierent rates of agitation. As showman ash plow 23 rohaving a pin 26 which may fit into any onejects downinto the receptacle 22, an is made adjustable in position, as by mounting the same upon a spindle 24, whichis provided with an exterior operating handle 25 the ash to drop into said chamber in front of a correspondm number ofash doors 29 (Fig. 2) locate beneath the ashplows. In the present embodiment of the invention, the

' ash pit is located within the gas-tight housing of the producer, and thus when the above doors 29 are opened, the pressure within the generator may serve to assist in ejecting ash if desired. The grate is preferably made in the form of sectorlike sections30 which are supported centrally by the pedestal 6, and at the outer ends by the partition 7 wall 4. The draft openings 31 (Fig. 3) of the grate are-also preferably located beneath the inclined ledges 32 in the sections 30, whereby the motion of the ash-agitatin member tends to sweep the ash up the le ges away from the draft openings, instead of crowding the ash into the latter.

Fig. 4 shows the ash-agitating beam of Figs. 1 and 2 as having a substantially triangular cross section,-'with.its inclined side face forwardly directed to gradually undulate the ash as the beam moves around.

The beam also .is preferably provided with forwardly directed teeth 33 which plow into the ash and check to some-extent the outstroking action of the beam.

In connection with an ash-agitating membe! of the iiliove naturmit is advantageous in many instances to employ a device for.

suitable number of openings 21 in drive crushing clinkers to facilitate their removal from the ash bed. In Figs. 5 and 6 we have illustrated a gas generator which is generally similar to the one previously described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2, in that its inner side wall 1" extends down below the lower working level of an ash-agitating member 8, the latter being supported and moved by a drive ring 11, which supports an interi'nediate ash receptacle 22*. This embodiment of the invention, however, 1s provided with an ash-crushing device interposed between agitating member 8 and the ash-discharge opening 10*, which ashcrushing device, consisting of an annular member 34 supported by drive ring 11 grinds the clinkers against a wear plate 9 Preferably the o posed ash-crushing faces of members 34 an 9 converge downwardly, as indicated in Fig. .6, whereby the clinkers are crushed progressively tosmaller size as they passtoward the ash-discharge opening 10 Fig. 5 also shows the member 34 as having oblique corrugations providing inclined ridges 35 thereon adapted to urge the clinkers downwardly and into contact with the corrugated faces of wear plate 9.

Thus the abovecrushing device serves to break up any clinkers which otherwise could not be mechanically removed from the generator.

-In Figs. 7 and 8 we have also illustrated another embodiment of the invention having an ash-agitating member which functions similarly to the one previously described, but which is of different construction. This latter type of agitating member is in the form of a shell supported upon a drive ring l1 carryin an intermediate ash receptacle 22 both 0 general construction similar to the members 11 and 22 above described, the ring 11 being water-cooled by a diametrically disposed pipe 36 connected at the centre of rotation of the beam with a water pipe 19 similar to pipe 19' above described.

The top surface of the agitating shell is made up of a series of inclined walls 37 which support the ash bed, and the rearward higher edge 37 of each wall 37, overlaps to some extent the forward lower edge 37 of the wall 37 next behind.

A vertical ledge 38 also depends from each of the rearward high edges of the walls 37 and overhangs an upstanding ledge 39 on each of the forward edges 37", thus providinga seriesof draft openings 40 communicating with the interior of the shell, whereby the latter acts as a grate as well as an agitator. As the shell rotates, the inclined Walls 37 gradually elevate the ash until the high points 37 of such walls are reached, when the ash drops abruptly, thus producing an undulating movement of the ash bed analogous to that obtained b the use of the beam 8 previously describe 45 mg cham part of said member.

The annular side walls 41 of the shell may also function as an ash crusher, forcing the clinkers against a wear plate 9", similar to memberst) and 9 previously described. As shown, the shell above-mentioned is positioned somewhat eccentrically upon the drive ring 11 whereby the side walls 41 are outstroking in their action, similar to the beam 8. p

The inner side wall 1 also is extended down to the lower working limits of the shell to prevent the free outward movement of the ash, whereby the latter passes through the discharge opening l0 into the receptacle 2?), at a rate conforming to that at which the ash is removed from the receptacle.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be obvious that many changes may be made therein without departing from its principles as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A gas generator adapted to have fuel and ash beds and having a rotary ash and fuel agitating member adapted to operate in the ash bed, a drive ring connected to an outer part of said member, cooling water connections leading to the axis of rotation of said member, and cooling water connections for said ring leading thereto from said outer -2. ,A gas generator having a. grate adapted to support an ash bed, a pressure equahz ing chamber underlying substantially all of said grate, an up and outstroking ash and fuel agitating member adapted to operate in said ash bed, the side.walls, ,of the generator extendin down substantially to the lower workinglimit of said member, an annular ash pit surrounding the pressure chamber above-mentioned, and an annular intermediate ash receptacle communicating between said ash bed and the ash pit.

3. A gas generator having a grate adapted to support an ash bed, a pressure equalizer underlying substantially all of said grate, an up and outstroking ash and fuel agitating member adapted to operate in said ash bed, the side walls of the generator 50* extending down substantially to the lower working limit of the ash bed, an annular ash 'pit surrounding the pressure chamber above-mentioned, and an annular intermediate ash receptacle moving with said ashagitating member and communicating between said ash bed and the ash pit.

4. A gas generator having an ash bed, a pressure equalizing chamber located beneath the same, inlet and outlet connections for gases leading to said chamber, a stationary grate supporting the ash bed, a rotary ashagitating member adaptedto operate-in said 'ash bed immediately over the grate, and a *coolin' water connection leading upwardly [throng said chamber and grate to the centre pit surrounding said of rotation of said member, and an annular ash receptacle surroundin said grate.

5. In a gas generator having a grate adapted to sup ort an ash-bed, a pressure equalizing cham er underlying substantially all of said grate, inlet and outlet connections for gases leading to .said chamber, and an ash ressure chamber.

6. A gas generator having an annular wall adapted to encloseda fuel and1 ash bed, a stationar rate un erl in" an su ortin the fuel iin d ash bed, rotar dry dhnula i ash-receiving trough underlying said wall, a rotary out and upstroking agitator operating immediately over the grate, an annular lip extending down from said wall and proecting down into said trough to dam. the outward flow of ash through the trough, the portion of the trough which is outside of said lip being surrounded by a gas-tight housing of the generator.

7. A gas generator adapted to have fuel and ash beds and having stationary side walls and a stationary grate extending substantially from wall to wall of the generator so as to support substantially all of-the ash bed, a pressure equalizing chamber underlying substantially all of the grate, a rotary out and upstroking agitator operating immediately over the grate and sweeping through the bottom of the ash bed, and means adjustable to different rates of ash removal with a given rate of operation of the agitator, for, controlling the rate of ash removal from the ash bed.

8.. A as generator adapted to have-fuel and ash eds and comprisin stationary side walls and an up and outstro ing ash moving and fuel agitating member adapted to sweep through the ash bed, a grate ada ted to support substantially all of the as bed, said generator having an ash discharge 0 ening located near'the outer portion of sai 'mem- .ber. and outside of the periphery of said grate, a drive ring for said member connected to the outer portion thereof, and an ash receptacle connected to said rin and adapted to receive ash passing ghroug said opening.

9. A gas generator adapted to have fueland ash beds and comprising stationary side walls and an up and outstroking ash moving and fuel agitating member adapted to sweep through the ash bed, a rate adapted to support substantially all ot the ash bed, said generator having "an ash discharge opening located near the outer portion of 7 a grate underlying substantially all of the a'sh bed, a pressure equalizing chamber underlying substantially all of the grate, an up and outstroking ash moving and fuel agitating member adapted to work in said ash bed, an ash pit surrounding said pressure equalizing chamber and located within the gas-tight housing of the generator, and an intermediate ash receptacle disposed near the outer portion of said member and communicating with said ash pit,,said receptacle Iigepleivin'g the ash by gravity from-the ash 11. A gas generator adapted to have fuel and ash beds, a grate underlying substantially all of the ash bed, a pressure equalizing chamber underlying substantially all of said grate, an up and outstroking ash-movin member adapted to work in said ash be a drive ring for said member surrounding said pressure chamber, bearing means for said drive ring mounted upon the walls of said chamber, an ash-pit surrounding said pressure chamber, and an intermediate ash receptacle interposed between the outer portion of the member and said ash-pit.

, 12. A gas generator adapted to have fuel and ash beds, a stationary grate underlying substantially all of the ash bed, a pressure equalizing chamber underlying substantially all of the grate, inlet and outlet connections for gases leading vto said chamber, and anash pit surrounding said pressure chamber.

13. A gas generator adapted to have fuel and ash beds and having a stationary grate extending substantially from wall to wall of the generator so as to support substantially all of the ash bed, a pressure equalizing chamber underlying substantially all of the grate, an out and upstroking agitator operating immediately over the grate, and means adjustable to maintain a different rate of ash removal with different rates of operation of the agitator, for controlling the rate of ash removal from the ash bed, said generator being provided with a gas-tight housing which surrounds said chamber and ashremoving means, to provide a seal for the interior of the generator.

' 14. A gas generator adapted to have fuel and ash beds, and having a stationary grate adapted to sup ort substantially all of the fuel and ash be s, said generator also having a stationary interior side wall enclosing said fuel and ash beds, said grate being spaced from said wall to some extent to provide an ash discharge opening betweenthe periphcry of the grate and said side wall, a rotary up and out stroking agitating member op erating immediately over the grate and overhanging said ash discharge opening, said agitating member having its outer end extending out nearly to said side wall so as to be capable of'breaking up clinker between the outer portion of the agitating member and the surrounding side wall, as

well as lifting and passing under clinker I which is not.so broken up, and means being provided to afford water cooling connections to the interior of said agitating member.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 3d day of September, 1924.

CHARLES ANDREYVS. WILLIAM B. CHAPMAN.

' CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,709,334.

Granted April 16, 1929, to

CHARLES w. ANDREWS ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Page 1, lines and 55,

strike out the word "ash"; page 3,' line 38, after the word "'pit" insert the immoral "-3"; page 5, line 44, claim 13, forthe word "different" read "given and that the said Letters Patent shouldbe read with these corrections therem that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 28th da of May, A. -D. 192g,

, M. J. Moore, Acting Commissioner of Patents.

above numbered patent requiring correc CERTIFlCATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,709,334. Granted April 16, 1929, to

CHARLES W. ANDREWS ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the tion as follows: Page 1, lines 50 and 55,

strike out the word "ash"; page 3, line 38, after the word "pit insert the numeral "3"; page 5, line 44, claim 13, for the word "different" read "given";

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the ease in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 28th day of May, A. D. 1929.

M. J. Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

